Elvhen is my Second Language!
by Dr. D. Fox
Summary: MGiT Plot Nug turned One-shot: Marylin is out of luck. Here she is, stuck in one of her favorite videogames, and the only person who can understand anything she says is Fen'Harel himself. Good thing she speaks a little Elvhen! Solas/OC, Modern Girl in Thedas (because it's like, a requirement or something in this fandom), stupid little plot nugs, Some cursing and adult content.


Perhaps she still hoped that everything was a dream or that maybe this would somehow be different than it was in the game, but when she found herself standing next to him after they closed the first rift- "Solas…" The word was a whisper and it made them all pause, staring at her. She hadn't even realized that she'd finally spoken something they could understand, something that was, apparently, universal. Inter-universal? Whatever, point was, it seemed like they understood her finally. Casandra spoke, gesturing between the two mages, and Lin shook her head, unsure on how to explain. How would she explain? To any of them? Surely, she'd be able to speak their language eventually, if she couldn't find a way home first. What would she tell them? The elf stared at her with a strange sort of scrutiny, before nodding his head slowly. Turning to the Seeker, he rattled off some rapid questions and the two of them spoke briefly. Lin had an idea of what they were discussing- her inability to speak a recognizable language, and then likely the rift and Solas explaining that she wasn't the cause of it. That made her snort to herself. No, she wasn't the cause. Corypheus was, but even before that, Solas himself was. Damn! How was she going to stop _him_? Before she could continue that train of thought, someone tapped her arm and she turned to see a widely smiling Varric. He held out his hand and spoke an introduction, and she was pleased that at least his name was similar enough to speak, though the 'R' sort of rolled oddly, and when she repeated it, it sounded flat on her tongue. But the dwarf laughed and nodded and she smiled and pointed to herself, "Marylin." He rolled the name around a bit, trying to form the same combination of sounds and accent, before getting close enough- "Marr'lin" that she smiled finally waved her hands and decided to keep it simple, "Lin. Just Lin." That he understood and nodded.

Introductions complete, she followed the other two as they continued on. She noticed that Solas was watching her closely, something unreadable behind his eyes. She'd have to be careful. They would need each other to defeat Corypheus, but he did not know that yet, only suspected it. If she outed him as the Dread Wolf too soon… He might kill her outright.

"Ir abelas." She muttered as she pushed herself off the wall and looked up at whoever she'd run into. It just sort of slipped out, since elvhen had been what she'd been learning before this whole… thing… happened and she'd been playing over relevant scenes in her head this morning. She didn't expect the person she ran into to be Solas, or the gasp and the nearly whispered, "Dithras…?"

For a moment, she considered not answering at all, but this- this was something she _needed_! An access into their world! A common tongue to start with. How was it that no other language worked (though granted, she hadn't tried French and everyone said that Orlesian was basically just weird French) "Dirthan elvhen… A little." She made a pinching motion with her fingers to emphasize that.

The mage's eyes lit up and he began to rapidly speak to her, so quickly and enthusiastically that she couldn't even make out the basics and had to wave her hands, laughing, "Sathen dirthas felas'el, Solas!"

A deep chuckle escaped the elf, and it sent a shiver up her spine. Stepping closer, he pointed to his lips, she guessed that he wanted her to watch him speak, " 'Sathan. Dirtha. Felas'el.' " Oh! He was correcting her tenses? And her pronunciation. She smiled briefly, then slowly repeated what he'd said, trying to pay attention to each sound. Reading elvish online or hearing it in the games, and saying it out loud with an actual, native speaker, were very different things. But it was a start.

They spent a few minutes just like that, standing in the Chantry and repeating the same line over and over until Solas finally gave her a tight smile and a nod. He pointed at himself, "Ghi'lan."

She thought for a moment about the word, and then laughed, nodding her head before bowing and placing her hand on her own chest, "Lan'sila."

Language lessons from Fen'Harel. Oh Maker, what was she getting into?

Dithras- Do you speak (language)

Dithran elvhen- I speak elvhen.

Sathan dirtha felas'el. -Please speak more slowly.

Ghi'lan- Teacher

Lan'sila- Student

Lin snarled at the Seeker, ready to either shake the woman, or rip out her own hair in frustration. This was their first trek into the Hinterlands that Solas was not accompanying them, and she couldn't get the party to understand her well enough to explain that the drawing was of Calenhad's Foothold. They seemed to want to simply dismiss it as useless, but Lin knew that this early on, she could use the objects in the chest. Throwing her hands up, she simply turned and started marching towards where the Foothold was, with Varric, Cassandra, and Sera all arguing behind her.

A part of her was grateful that Solas hadn't come along. It was hard to watch what she said all the time and keep from implying that she knew anything about him. Keeping the others from thinking she was some sort of _seer_ was already a task, but keeping that from a god? No thank you! Ugh, and she still had to go fetch Blackwall! He'd been a favorite of hers in game, but knowing who he was in _actual fucking Thedas_ , was going to be problematic so she had simply been avoiding it. And what about the Chargers? The Iron Bull! She groaned out loud and stopped to brace herself against a tree. Navigating this whole world was like playing minesweeper where you knew where all the mines were, but every tile around them could turn into a mine if you didn't hit them in just the right order.

Someone touched her shoulder, and she ducked her head under her arm to see Varric giving her a concerned look. Shaking her head, she waved him off with a half-smile and straightened up. That's it. She'd see about getting a journal and writing everything down with all the options and any ideas on how she could make it seem like she wasn't some sort of precognizant freak to these superstitious people.

Lin's hand was cramping and her eyes were so dry that she could barely blink them. She'd been sitting in the office for well over an hour (she had rapidly learned how to use the candles to count the time), writing the same set of words over and over until she felt like that was all she could hear in her mind, ' _Ame, Ane, Anel, Ise, Ase, Re, Ele, Ea_ …' Sighing, she rolled her head from side to side and arched her back to try to relieve the tension in it. It had not taken long to master the basics of elven, particularly since it was her only reliable means of communication with anyone here (Common was blasted hard and she struggled to remember the tenses and verbs and basic sentence structure) and Solas was an enthusiastic teacher. More complicated words and phrases were hard for her still, and she regularly mispronounced things while her teacher clucked his tongue, but at least she could understand and be understood, and it helped her feel less alone in the world. Solas, however, was not one for half-assing anything, and so he insisted that she learn to write it as well. He had been completely confused by her attempts to write, and she realized that the English alphabet was non-existent here, of course. So, they made the slow trek through writing basic letters, then words, and now she was practicing tense and conjugation and every other incredibly boring part of language Solas could come up with, over and over and over.

Finally reaching her wits end, she shoved the scroll and inkwell away from her with a hissed, "Fenedhis!" It was cathartic, but the 'tsk' behind her made her flinch and peek shyly over her shoulder, ears bright red and eyes wide.

Solas was shaking his head at her from the doorway of the library, "Lin! How is it that you do not know the word 'safal', but you know _that_ , hm?" She was fluent enough in elvhen now that she didn't not need to think of each word and translate what he was saying, it almost sounded the way English did in her head.

Lin blushed deeper, but perked up, "I learned that one! We brought them up from Master Dennet. _Horse_." She repeated the word back to him, though her mind provided the translation and the accompanying image.

A smile tugged at the mage's lips, but he kept a stern mask, "That does not answer the question."

Rubbing the back of her head and looking down at her feet, she shrugged, feeling like a naughty child, and looked up at him through her lashes, "I am an adult, Solas. I know more than the words of children."

He gaped a moment, leaning back a little, before relaxing and a more natural smile coming to his face, "You are right. I apologize." There was no room for discussion when he used that tone, and it was rare that he spoke those words- the very first phrase that she'd ever spoken to him.

Taking a few steps forward, he leaned over her shoulder and pulled the parchment closer to them, looking over what she'd written so far. She was suddenly very aware of how close he was, his chest pressed lightly against her shoulder. Heat spread from the spot, and she had to refrain from squirming at the contact. Just barely managing to not startle when he started to speak, she tried to pay attention as he corrected a mistake here, or explained the use of a tense there. More and more she had found herself acutely aware of her teacher's presence. She struggled with it, knowing full well who and _what_ he was. She had never played out his romance options herself, preferring human characters, but she had heard enough to know that his was one full of betrayal and angst and unresolved sexual tension. Well, by the gods (haha), if she ever made it back home the very first thing she'd do would be to play through his damn storyline.

Who knew that Mother Giselle spoke Elvhen? Lin couldn't remember that _ever_ being mentioned in the game, but here she was, having a rather pleasant lesson in Common with the holy Mother. It was difficult, like learning French from someone who spoke Spanish first and English second and kept trying to compare the first to the second two- neither of which you spoke. Still, it was more helpful than anything that Cassandra or Josephine had managed to do, and Solas was far more interested in improving Lin's elvhen than in teaching her Common. Well! At least now it would be easier to deal with Redcliffe!

Lin's stomach dropped at that thought, and she stood up abruptly, startling the Mother and apologizing, claiming she needed to use the necessities. Bolting out the door, she ran outside and turned to the left of the Chantry, stumbling to a stop between the trees in an attempt to catch her breath. Redcliffe. Oh god. Redcliffe. If she wasn't so terrified of facing a demon from within her own head, she'd almost consider choosing the Templars, but who in their right mind chose those nuts? She _had_ to go to Redcliffe. But that meant time magic. And watching her companions die. Oh! But it also meant Dorian! Shit. This whole thing was going to be a shit show, wasn't it?

There was cold, and then there was _cold_. Whoever designed Thedas needed a swift kick in the rear. Why was the rest of the damned world so pleasant to visit, but the mountains that she had to struggle through were the coldest and least hospitable place she'd ever been? And that was including the damned desert that she hadn't even been to yet! She knew heat. Heat was something you could deal with, especially if you didn't traipse around it during the day (because unlike the games, she planned on doing those quests at _night_ , like a sane person.)

But this cold! It ate through her clothes and burrowed into her bones and when she couldn't think of English words to describe it and curse it, she started practicing her elvhen on it, just for a change of pace. Even with the renewed fire brought on by new vicious threats to throw at the wind, she found her strength flagging. In the game, there had been time skips and while the overall feel was one of desperation, you kind of lost out on the whole, walking for a few HOURS thing. Lin could only suppose that was because no one in their right mind would find this entertaining. At least her toes stopped hurting, though if she remembered anything from the survival shows, that wasn't a good thing.

A lonely howl to her left brought her to a stop. Another joined on the right, slow, sorrowful, searching. She grit her teeth and trudged on, ignoring them until one sounded closer and she snapped, whirling around to face the unseen creatures, "Damnit Fen'Harel! SHUT. UP. YOUR. MUTTS!"

Her voice echoed off the mountains around her, as the storm seemed to let up some. Good. That meant she was what- half way there? Grumbling under her breath she continued on, step after step, in the deep silence of snow blanketed terrain.

After a time, though, she couldn't speak- she was too cold and winded.

A little while later, she couldn't even think.

It was not long after that when she stumbled in the snow, and real fear gripped her. This wasn't a game. This was her life. She could very well die out here, and the reality of that was almost too much to bear. Seeing the twisted, burned bodies at the Temple of Ashes had made her gag from the smell, but she didn't feel an emotional connection. Facing Corypheus had been terrifying, but somehow still felt unreal. Feeling her life sapping out of her little by little from the brutal elements? That was very, very real.

When her eyes hurt too much to keep open, she closed them and trudged on. When her hands were too numb to feel, she shoved them into her armpits and kept going. When her knees started to give out from under her, she began to crawl.

When warmth enveloped her, so different from the frozen air she'd felt on her skin that she gasped in pain, she opened her eyes again. A frown was the first thing she saw, then sharp eyes and a bald head. Well, this was different. Wasn't it Cullen that found the Herald in the games? But instead, here was her teacher, frowning down at her like she was a misbehaving child. Maybe her warning to evacuate before closing the Breach had changed something with Cullen? Or maybe Fen'Harel had actually heard her. That didn't bode well, but she was too delirious from the cold to think about it. She giggled and said in English, "I didn't think about it in the game, but you aren't wearing a hat in the snow. Silly Egg." She laughed, but it was a breathy sound that pulled a growl from the elf cradling her against his surprisingly steely chest, "I just thought, the perfect name and I don't think anyone has used it on you." Grinning up at him through blue lips, she whispered, "Elgar'uva." And then giggled again, though it was barely audible now.

He pressed a finger to her temple and she felt warmth and comfort and the desire to sleep wash over her, but before the Fade claimed her, she heard him whisper, "Telahna, Da'ghest."

Telahna, Da'ghest- "Hush, Little Monster."

Elgar'uva- Spirit egg

Once you know you are in the Fade, it's hard not to affect how it looks. Perhaps that was what caught Solas offguard, but more likely it was the excited squeak that Lin gave when she realized they were in _that scene_ , and the deep blush that colored her cheeks. Unable to help herself, she flung her arms around the startled elf's neck, grinning from ear to ear. Before pulling away, she whispered, "Ma serannas, hahren, for bringing me into the Fade like this."

The mage gaped at her a moment, before smiling softly, "Da'len...You surprise me again." Taking her hand, he led her through the Fade Haven, talking about how he'd first come to the Breach, how he'd offered to help with it, with her, how Cassandra threatened him. They moved through each of the familiar scenes, though their conversations were more in depth than the light skimming the game provided.

Something he said caught her attention, though, and she tipped her head up at him shyly, "Felt the whole world change?"

He gave her a little smirk, a hint of shyness in the edges of it, "A figure of speech."

Laughing, she stepped a little closer (was that her Will, or his? She was having trouble telling), "I know that…" Was that her voice going all breathy?

He shook his head, "You change… _everything_."

Cheeks burning, she felt the space between them close. Had she moved? The Fade rippled around them, and a voice, no, a thought, whispered between them with no real sound.

 _Ar novena dhava ma…_

There was no way to tell who made that thought, but she was the one who reacted to it. When he made to turn away, she reached her hand up to his cheek and brushed her lips against his. Sparks rippled along the flesh where they met, and she pulled back- startled by both her own boldness and the reaction.

He didn't let her move away completely though, as he wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her against him. His mouth crashed against hers and he devoured her with a hungry sort of need that left her shaking. Coaxing her mouth open with his lips, he nipped at her and explored her mouth with a strange sort of familiarity. _Clove and… Pomegranate? Do they even have those here?_ She wondered at the taste he left behind when he pulled away. But the curiosity was replaced by worry when she noticed the wary sort of panic in his eyes. She noticed that the snow that had been around them was gone, replaced by blooming spring flowers she was familiar with, but he was not.

Hands lifted in a gesture of peace, she took a step back and noticed the barely perceivable relaxing of his shoulders, "Why don't we discuss this after we…" oh, how she had always wanted to try this next part! "-Wake Up."

Ar novena dhava ma… - I want to kiss you.

 _Orlesians_. Should Lin ever felt that politics back at home were bad, she need only think of this little clusterfuck and her local government system would seem wonderfully well run. If it wasn't for Dorian's sarcastic quips, Blackwall's calm demeanor, and Solas' very _distracting_ discussion about his own view on the current and past events, she was sure that she would have simply walked in and slit the Duchess' throat, propriety and storyline be damned! As it was, she had no need to do more than the bare minimum of flouncing about the castle (Andreste knew how many times she'd played through this damned scene in the game). Lucky for her, Josephine had made it clear that she was not fluent in Common (but conveniently left out her fluency in French/Orlesian), so there was very little need for her to converse with the masked nobles during this three-day ball. Oh? Didn't anyone mention? It wasn't one bloody night for this little fete. Oh no! It was Three. Maker Damned. Days. Of course, no one would have dreamed of assassinating the Empress on the first night, so at least that gave Lin and her bonny crew two full days to find everything. But still! Three days of corsets and puffy sleeves and silly masks. Three days of assassins and blood and frilly cakes (though she agreed with Solas, they were pretty good).

And now, on the last night, she had finally revealed (in fluent French, thanks to some brushing up with sweet Josie) Duchess Florianne's involvement in the attempted assassination of the Empress! She forced Gaspard, Briala and Celene to play nice (with a few whispered threats of secrets that only someone who had read everything about the games could know) and was now leaning against the railing of the balcony, wishing that she could get out of these ridiculous shoes and have a nice, juicy hamburger.

"I'm not surprised to find you out here." A voice interrupted her musings. Lin turned, smiling when she realized it was Solas. He looked good without that silly hat, and she was happy she'd managed to hide it before they arrived tonight.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you'd find me here." She replied, leaning an elbow against the railing.

Solas eyed her with a strange smile, "No, I doubt many things surprise you." A chill ran down her spine, and she fought to keep her face pleasantly neutral. Was he suspicious? The journal helped her keep from tipping her hand, but it was only a matter of time… His voice cut off her thoughts again, and he stepped back, "I wondered, though, if you know why I came out here?"

She shook her head and worried at her lip a little. He lifted his hand and gave her a half bow I came to ask you _alas'nira_."

That wasn't a phrase they'd studied, but it dawned on her what scene this must be and she barely contained the startled yelp that threatened to escape her lips. "I- I would be delighted."

Alas'nira – To Dance

She rolled her hips and arched her back, sucking in cold air through her teeth in a sibilant gasp. Her fingers worked frantically, pushing her closer to the edge, spreading liquid fire through her veins until she feared she might actually light the _forest_ on fire. The breeze floated across her skin like a caress, and behind her tightly clenched eyelids she placed the image of _his_ fingers brushing her skin, his tongue where her own fingers were, and his snarls of pleasure muffled by her thighs and throaty moans.

Most days she could ignore what he did to her, how her body responded to him. Normally, she could do her job and then find a very cold lake or stream to jump into before going to bed later that night. Nearly every time his dark chuckle made her shiver, she could redirect her mind to other places. But not today. Today, he had brushed soot off her cheek with the swipe of a thumb, and told her something in elvish that she only barely understood- something about dragons and hot blood, inside and out. His voice had been low and gravelly and went instantly to that tingling place between her thighs. The smirk that played on his lips, the way he carefully did not look at her as they rode back to camp, he knew, damn him, he _knew_ what he did to her!

Quickly excusing herself when they reached camp, she waved off the offer by Cassandra for an escort and said she only wanted a bath. True, she'd managed to strip her clothes as soon as she was far enough downstream that she didn't think they could see or hear her, but getting into the water was for _after_. Right now, she needed release. And right now, it was _his_ voice and image that was bringing her there while she was laying precariously on a moss-covered rock in the mild of a wild no-where.

So close now, she could feel the heat coiling deeper inside of her, and she imagined him sliding a pair of long fingers inside of her, even as she imitated the image with her own hands. He spoke in her mind, and she did not realize that she responded out loud in a harsh whisper, "Atha 'ma'edhas'av i mar av!"

"Da'len! That _is_ a surprising phrase."

Lin sat bolt upright with a yelp of surprise and nearly went tumbling off her rock and into the stream beside her. Legs tucking up to cover her chest and arms wrapped around herself, she turned her head to gape at her singular audience, "Hahren!" She squeaked, so mortified that she could almost swear the Anchor was trying to open up a rift beneath her. "How long were you there?!"

The feral grin that crept across his lips was enough to make her squeak again as he took a few languid steps closer, mere feet away now, "Long enough to know that you know some very interesting words. And here I had assumed I was your only teacher." There was something cold at the edge of his eyes when he spoke that last sentence, and it made a flutter of fear catch in her throat.

Goosebumps broke out along her skin and she could have kicked herself for leaving her clothes so far from her rock, "Y-you are. I knew them... from before."

The coldness dissipated, replaced by burning heat that left her feeling more exposed than before and he closed the gap between them. " _Really_ , da'len? Then tell me if you recognize this…" Leaning in so that she could feel the puff of air across her ear, he growled huskily, "Silal or ma tu ara'len'palan."

Oh Maker! A dream. This must be a dream. The Fade? Her eyes closed and she whimpered, trying to force her mind awake, only to find that everything stayed exactly the same and Solas laughed in her ear, "Oh, you _do_ understand that. How fascinating." Something ghosted along her spine, and her back arched, exposing her nipples to the cold air as she gasped. Another hand caught one of the pert peaks, tweaking it enough to make her cry out as his lips spoke against the gentle curve of her neck, "I wonder if I can teach you any new phrases tonight, Inquisitor."

Startling awake, Lin nearly tumbled from her hart, glancing around with a frantic jerk of her head. They were on the road, the day after killing the dragon, and she had… been asleep? Cassandra turned her horse a little from up ahead, "Are you alright, Inquisitor?" Still feeling confused, Lin nodded, not trusting herself to respond coherently in Common.

Her eyes caught sight of Solas, casually perched atop his own hart, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips as he addressed the Seeker, "I believe she fell asleep in the saddle. Perhaps a dream startled her awake?" He turned to her with the question, and with both pairs of eyes staring at her, she could feel her cheeks turn a deep red.

Damn him! He _knew_! That smug smirk that he wore now that the Seeker couldn't see his face. Feeling the need to get back at him a little, she shrugged, "Just a nightmare. Nothing worth noting."

Cassandra took her at her word and spurred her horse on again. When Lin turned to Solas, expecting a frown or a blank stare, she was surprised to see his smile had gone feral- just like the grin from the dream, "Many predators stalk the fade, Da'ghest. You should be more guarded when you sleep lest they find you in your… _nightmares_."

This is what you get when you try to provoke a wolf. Lin had the distinct feeling that she wouldn't find easy sleep anytime soon.

Wasn't Solas only romanceable by elves? She could have sworn she'd seen that somewhere. It was a big debate because of the whole, "Solas hates the Dalish" thing. He was definitely only romanceable by elves. So then why had he been dogging her dreams (haha, Dread Wolf pun), spending time with her, calling her 'his heart' and now, taking her to this beautiful glen? They were so close to ending all of this, getting rid of the final threat that Corypheus posed, but she had not seen a single instance to suggest that Solas wasn't 100% behind the Inquisitions efforts, and that he was anything but passionately interested in her. Even now, his thumb rubbed across the back of her hand as they walked in comfortable silence, and she practically hummed with pleasure.

The Exalted Plains were mostly void of life, thanks to the near constant wars fought in them, but this hidden glen was beautiful. Solas paused, turning to her, "The Veil is thin here. Can you feel it on your skin, tingling?" She had thought it was just her nerves, but now that she concentrated on it- it felt sort of like the power from the Anchor- a plucking, tickling sensation, barely within her skins ability to feel. She nodded, watching the play of emotion on his face.

He started speaking of the origin of humanity. How they sprang up after the fall of the ancient, immortal elves. He painted pictures with his words as easily as he did with his brush, and it broke her heart to hear of the collapse of elvhen kind. True, she knew most of this from _before_ , but that wasn't the same as hearing it from someone who lived it. Someone who _started_ it.

He spoke of the exile of the sad remnants of the elves, and the wars fought against them as humanity spread. Lin couldn't help but whisper, "Humanities cruelty cost the elves their freedom, and their lives."

Solas stared at her in awe, his fingers ghosting her cheek, "You are unique. In all of Thedas, I never imagined I would find someone who could tear my attention away from the Fade. You have become important to me. More important than I ever a thought a human could." The tips of his fingers lifted her chin, "Humanity is not all bad. After all, they created you."

He kissed her then, a kiss so full of passion and love that it made her toes curl and even the Anchor sparked with static. When they broke apart, he rested their foreheads together whispering into the space between them, "Vhenan…"

Her voice cracked with emotion as she responded, "Ar lath ma."

It was perfect.

And then he pulled away.

Apparently, you didn't have to wait until Trespasser to feel the bastard rip your heart from your chest.

It was over. It was all over. Corypheus was dead, and the Breach was sealed. There was a tingling in her body, like the power she felt when she closed a Rift, as she walked down the stairs, knowing that the words she and Solas had just spoken would be the last for years to come. Well, fuck him. Fuck all of this. Fuck pretending like she didn't know what would happen next. The Inquisition waited at the foot of the stairs for their leader, and she had every intention of changing the future. The Dread Wolf was gone, hunting for what he needed to tear down the Veil. Now, she would become the hunter.

"Leliana!" the Inquisitor's eyes searched until she spotted the ex-bard, "Call a meeting. I have some information we are going to need."


End file.
